1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to ladders and platforms, and more specifically, a convertible ladder and load platform for a vehicle articulating roof rack system.
2. Background of the Invention
An articulating roof rack system provides a new level of utility not seen in current roof rack systems. The system is operatively deployed upon a vehicle and is selectively movable to allow a user to easily and quickly load and unload items to and from the assembly. As such, a portion of the roof rack assembly is selectively removable from the roof, thereby allowing the user to access the assembly from ground level.
To allow for the selectively removable portion of the roof rack assembly to be repositioned, the system provides for support members in combination with cross members to be slideably and pivotally repositionable upon the back end of the vehicle such that the assembly is in a back end mounted position, resulting in the assembly being substantially parallel with the back end of the vehicle. In this back end position, the user can easily load and unload items from ground level without the use of a ladder or the like.
While the roof rack system provides for easy operator loading and unloading and access from ground level, its purpose is to securely store and hold items that are not currently in use. In such vehicles where the articulating roof rack system would be used, typically sport utility vehicles and the like, there is a need for increased utility of external vehicle components. An operator may desire, for example, to have the roof rack system in a back end mounted position while still requiring access to the roof of the vehicle or an operator may desire a loading surface on the roof of the vehicle when the roof rack system is in a roof mounted position.
It is therefore desired to have a convertible ladder and load platform for a vehicle articulating roof rack system such that when in the back end mounted position the convertible ladder and load platform can be attached to the system to serve as a ladder for access to the roof of the vehicle, and when in the roof mounted position the convertible ladder and load platform can be attached to the system to serve as a load platform thereby creating a flat loading surface on the roof of the vehicle.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a convertible ladder and load platform for a vehicle articulating roof rack system that overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art.
Accordingly, the present invention advantageously provides a convertible ladder and load platform including a vehicle articulating roof rack system having a selectively removable portion operable between a stowed roof mounted position and a slideably and pivotally repositionable back end mounted position, a stationary bottom portion received by the selectively removable portion of the articulating roof rack system, a removable top portion received by the stationary bottom portion, a frame received by the stationary bottom portion, and a plurality of rotatable steps operable between a vertically oriented ladder position and a horizontally oriented load platform position received by the frame.
It is a feature of the present invention that the convertible ladder and load platform for a vehicle articulating roof rack system has steps that rotate such that when in the substantially vertical ladder position the shelves serve as steps, and when in the horizontal load platform position the shelves articulate forward thereby creating a flat loading surface on the roof of the vehicle.